“Apple updated Safari for both Mac OS X and Windows to version 4.0.5, hardening the browser before it’s tossed into the ring with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, Mozilla’s Firefox and Google’s Chrome at this year’s Pwn2Own hacking challenge,” Keizer reports. “The contest organizer has predicted that Safari would be the first to fall when researchers battle for $40,000 in prize money beginning March 24 at the CanSecWest security conference.”
“Nine of the 16 flaws patched Thursday were in the open-source WebKit browser engine that forms the foundation of Safari; six affected only the Windows version, which runs on XP, Vista and Windows 7,” Keizer reports. “Of the half-dozen Windows-only vulnerabilities, four were in the Image IO component, and could be triggered by specially-crafted TIFF or BMG image files when rendered by Safari.”
Keizer reports, “The WebKit fixes may be timely. Last month, Aaron Portnoy, security research team lead with 3Com TippingPoint, the sponsor of Pwn2Own, bet that Safari would crumble at the contest in part because it’s built ‘on the notoriously buggy WebKit.’”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "Robert S." for the heads up.]
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